In just seven tracks, Rye Mountain Revelry firmly plant their musical roots and sonic identity. Their self-entitled debut weaves together a cross-country pattern of folk, country, and bluegrass. Summoning back the Alternative Country movement of the 90’s, RMR, leaning more Son Volt than Wilco, use this borrowed nostalgia to springboard their work into the modern landscape. A slew of instrumentation envelops the grounded songwriting to create a feeling that the listener is just as much a part of the musical experience as the musicians. “Holler Siren Serenade” finds itself in Dwight Yoakam’s wheelhouse, while the close inter-gendered harmonies on “Whiskey Moon” hearken to an Appalachian Fleetwood Mac.
The union of Eric and Anna Madden forms the beating heart of group. Meeting in Nashville in 2014 and marrying in the same church as Johnny Cash and June Carter in Franklin, Kentucky, the couple’s musical prowess grew and developed with their life partnership. Originally only playing lead fiddle on Eric’s songs, Anna began to collaborate lyrically until beginning to write on her own songs like “(Take Me Back to) Turquoise Mountain.” With difficulty finding like-minded bandmates in Nashville, the Madden’s ended up in Austin in 2017. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Eric McKinney of Wonderland Studios helped Anna and Eric track and overdub the EP before finding bassist Barret O’Donnell and drummer David Pearson via Craigslist. RMR now write and arrange with a full a full band in mind.
Imagery of human connection and moon-lit desert landscapes fill the songs with a wistful yearning to get out of the confines of city life. “Without the distractions and isolation-effect of big city life,” Eric explains, “it allows people to draw closer together and look to each other to see the value each of us has, as well as the inherent value and beauty of nature. Walking up the mountains at night and seeing the stars without any light pollution to the soundtrack of a lonesome train whistle in the distance was something I was extremely blessed to have as part of my raising and development.” These sentiments are not only reflected in the recordings, but also in the band’s future plans. As much as they love Austin, they hear the calls of “honkytonks and dance halls” from all over Texas.
With an upcoming show in San Marcos on November 9th at Tantra Coffee and plans to begin production on a full length record this winter, keep up with Rye Mountain Revelry on their website ryemountainrevelry.com and Facebook page.
– Hayden Steckel